As society becomes more conscious of global warming, attempts have been made to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that is emitted into the atmosphere. In fossil fuel burning applications and systems, such as fossil fuel burning power plants, attempts have been made to capture CO2 at various points in time during the operating cycle of the various applications and systems. The primary area in which conventional CO2 capture systems are utilized is in the collection or capture of CO2 from the exhaust gas of a fossil fuel burning power plant. Typically, the exhaust of a power plant is treated with an amine liquid that collects the CO2 included in the exhaust. The amine liquid is then heated or stripped to remove the CO2 that is included in the liquid.
In conventional CO2 capture systems, a relatively large amount of energy is utilized to heat the amine liquid to remove the included CO2. There is typically a large amount of water included in the amine liquid that must be heated along with the solvent and CO2. Because a large amount of energy is expended to heat the CO2, the solvent, and the water, conventional CO2 capture systems are relatively inefficient and, as a result, often not cost effective.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems, methods, and apparatus for capturing CO2, for example, by using a solvent or an aqueous solvent. There is additionally a need for improved systems, methods, and apparatus for removing CO2 from a solvent or an aqueous solvent.